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Duane Reade offers H1N1 immunization vaccines for New York residents

Duane Reade, the largest drug store chain in New York City, today announced plans for its H1N1 immunization program as part of the Company's commitment to meet the health and wellness needs of New Yorkers and to be a destination for their flu related needs.

18 Dec 2009

Hydrocephalus Association awards stimulus grants for research initiative

The Hydrocephalus Association has announced research grants to scientists at five medical centers, in a new initiative to address the shortfall in progress in the treatment of hydrocephalus, a condition affecting one million Americans.

17 Dec 2009

Sen. Nelson rejects abortion compromise

Reuters: "Democratic hopes for passing a broad healthcare overhaul in the U.S. Senate by Christmas took a hit on Thursday when a party holdout, Ben Nelson, rejected a compromise on abortion aimed at winning his vote. ... Democrats have no margin of error -- they control exactly 60 votes and face so far unified Republican opposition.

17 Dec 2009

HHS money targets chronic disease management for seniors

McKnight's Long Term Care News "The Department of Health and Human Services is disbursing $27 million in stimulus package funds to bolster care and prevention of chronic conditions among the elderly through the HHS Administration on Aging (AoA), it said Wednesday.

17 Dec 2009

Senate health reform vote by Christmas in doubt as sides draw lines

Politico: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan to pass the Senate health care reform bill by Christmas looked increasingly in doubt Wednesday, as Republicans launched an offensive to stall the legislation and Democrats had yet to strike a 60-vote compromise.

17 Dec 2009

Reform issues in play: Selling insurance across state lines, Medicare’s doughnut hole

News outlets report on some of the major health policy issues being considered by the Senate, including a proposal to let insurers sell plans across state lines and an effort to close the Medicare "doughnut hole."

17 Dec 2009

Federal tech panel still defining electronic health records terminology

The mid-December "milestone" for a federal advisory panel to come up with a definition of "meaningful use" of electronic medical records has come and gone, Modern Healthcare reports. That definition is to be used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to determine who is eligible for a share of $34 billion in subsidies provided as part of the February stimulus bill. The members of the federal panel began shaping their definition in May.

17 Dec 2009

Lieberman's health care move still reverberating

Politico: "Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is taking a thrashing from his former Democratic colleagues and liberal activists for forcing a Medicare expansion out of the health bill. But in the end, Lieberman may have done President Barack Obama one of the biggest favors in the health care debate. That's because any bill with the Medicare buy-in would have drawn fierce opposition from doctors and hospitals, two groups Obama has worked hard to keep on board.

17 Dec 2009

House votes to extend COBRA benefits, delay Medicare physician pay cuts

The House of Representatives voted yesterday to delay Medicare doctor payment cuts and extend COBRA benefits.

17 Dec 2009

Pelosi signals openness to bill without public option, others also eye possibilities

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled Wednesday that she is open to health care reform that doesn't include a public option, "a strong signal that Congress could agree on a plan early next year," McClatchy reports.

17 Dec 2009

Pelosi signals openness to bill without public option but progressives chafe

17 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 17, 2009

Today's big story, according to the headlines, are the delays in the Senate debate.

17 Dec 2009

Obama meeting designed to boost Reid's effort to pass health bill

The New York Times Prescriptions blog: "With the health care overhaul on shaky ground, President Obama planned to meet with Senate Democrats on Tuesday afternoon ... to exhort them to make history by approving the contentious measure."

17 Dec 2009

Health Research Institute presents top 10 issues in the upcoming year

PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute's Top 10 Health Industry Issues in 2010, puts healthcare cost control at the head of the list as the overarching theme for the year ahead.

17 Dec 2009

Dangers of excess radiation exposure: Stricter measures needed to prevent unnecessary scans

MedSolutions (www.medsolutions.com), a leading provider of medical cost management services, today commended two new studies highlighting the dangers of excess radiation exposure from CT scans and other diagnostic imaging tests.

17 Dec 2009

Quantros launches new healthcare IT consulting division

Quantros, Inc., a leading provider of safety and quality software and professional services solutions for the healthcare industry, announces the creation of a new healthcare IT consulting division.

17 Dec 2009

Healthcare sector achieves modest revenue growth in 2008

Health care sector revenue increased by 5.7 percent in 2008 to $1.75 trillion, up from $1.66 trillion in 2007, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This sector is classified under the North American Industry Classification System as NAICS 62.

17 Dec 2009

Portable bladder volume ultrasound now included in 2009 CDC guidelines for the prevention CA-UTIs

Verathon®, maker of BladderScan® bladder volume instruments is pleased to announce that portable bladder volume ultrasound is now included in the new 2009 CDC guidelines for the Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CA-UTIs).

17 Dec 2009

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announces $27 million to help older individuals with chronic conditions

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the availability of $27 million to help older individuals with chronic conditions to improve their health and reduce their use of costly medical care.

17 Dec 2009

The White House reject Dean's challenge to Senate health bill

USA Today: A White House spokesman today said President Obama rejects the call by former Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean to defeat the current Senate health care bill. Dean, "a physician who also was Vermont governor, said on national television Wednesday he believed legislation in the Senate would now benefit the insurance industry more than it helps Americans struggling to gain health coverage or pay for it."

16 Dec 2009